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Tea-Staining Hang Tags

A few years ago someone described to me how she went about "grunging" dolls and ornies. Although she didn't divulge her "secret" recipe, I did come to understand the process. Since that time, I've seen articles on tea staining, coffee staining, and various other techniques for antiquing paper and cloth, but some of the best techniques I've either learned by experimentation or some kindly person has dropped a hint. Here's a great start to creating your own grungy hang tags

This is one of my techniques for tea staining hang tags.

How to Make Tea Stained Hang Tags

To start the process, you need some hang tags. If you buy the large shipping tags from an office supply company, they often come without string, so you will need string as well. You may also make your tags with a CRICUT™ or SWIZZIX™ machine.

General, I use a small 1 quart casserole dish. I put 6 tea bags in the dish. I would use an inexpensive tea.

I let the tea brew until it is the right color. This depends on how dark I want the tags and how many times I'm willing to run the tags through the process.

Usually when I'm tea staining I will add fragrance oils and still well.

In the picture you'll notice that I've also included some liquid potpourri. I'll explain that in the section on other recipes.

I completely immerse the tags in the tea mixture. Please note that many people simple place their staining mixture in a spray bottle and spray their tags.

Although this picture shows hot tea, I usually wait for the mixture to cool down before I start using it.

I place the tea soaked tags on a stainless steel cooking sheet. I use stainless because other kinds of cooking sheet will leave marks on the tags.

I place the tags in the oven that has been preheated to between 200°F and 225°F. I set my oven to 205°F, because it gives me the results I like. Please make sure your oven is not set above 225ºF and make sure you watch the tags. They shouldn't take long to dry.

I cook them until they are almost dry. If you cook them until they are completely dry, they will curl up. Most likely they will straighten back out. You can always stack them up and place the stack under a book.

Helpful Hints

1. Paper will not hold a scent as well fabric; however, you can refresh the tags.
2. Blank tags can be sprayed with any scent. You'll find many people that make wonderful "air fresheners" that smell like fresh baked goods. You might want to look for "Country" or "Primitive" when you search for scents.
3. Instant tea can be used instead of tea bags.
4. Patterns can be created on tags by leaving little puddles of tea or water on the tag while it dries.
5. From my experience, the slower the drying process, the more even the staining.
6. Spraying the tags instead of dipping may give a more uneven mottled look to the tags.
7. Tags can be air-dried. This works especially well if you are spraying the tags.
8. Tags can be dipped and dried multiple times to darken the tags.

Other Recipes

If you desire darker tags, you may want to use a coffee mix instead of a tea mix.

1. Instant tea mixed with liquid potpourri and water.
2. Instant coffee mixed with vanilla and pumpkin pie spices
3. Brewed coffee with coffee grounds added onto the tags during the drying to create brown spots.

Here's an easy way to make a dark coffee stain. Use instant coffee crystals. Instead of mixing the crystals with water, mix them with some liquid potpourri. The liquid potpourri can be found at your local craft store near the candles. Please don't confuse this with candle making oils. The container will say "Liquid Potpourri" on it. It comes in many different scents including pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. You may have to experiment a bit to get the right mix of coffee to liquid for the darkening you need.